Is this technically a gay show? Even after getting through the whole thing, that's still kind of tricky to answer. There's never any physical intimacy shown between the two leads, not even a single kiss. What it gives you instead is something that goes way deeper than that. It traces an emotional bond that spans a full decade between two guys who are both dealing with their own baggage, and what they share basically amounts to being soulmates. The story moves across Japan, South Korea, and Berlin. Honestly, whether people want to call what they have a romantic relationship or not doesn't really matter to me. A relationship doesn't need a label like boyfriends attached to it to actually mean something. And closeness doesn't need to be physical to feel genuine. What this show captures is something quieter but way more powerful, a bond rooted in understanding, respect, and just showing up for each other. Across eight episodes, each running 35 to 45 minutes, this is one...
Renata is a trans woman, who has lost her job but not told her parents. She is on a week long vacation with her parents and sister. She is a person of few words, and ducks behind doors and absconds to the lake to vape and contemplate, her chin resting on her knees; her body curled into itself, a protective stance against the world. We never really get know what's really happening in her head. And the whole movie is just about a family of four bickering and fighting about petty things. More explosive confrontations will happen too, as the vacation hours stretch into days and the cottage starts to feel claustrophobic. The mother is always complaining to either daughters or husband. The husband is quite type who just listens to everything. The sisters confrontations are vicious exchanges of harsh sentiments, followed by moments of loving intimacy. The premise is neat needing to tell her parents she left the job and thats it.
Is Renata depressed? How introspective is she? It's hard to tell because the screenplay doesn't do an adequate job of providing a window into her heart, mind and soul. There's not enough comic relief, surprises or memorable scenes; and after a while I was asking myself why am I watching this film of a family on a holiday? Ren and her family don’t bicker about her transition — that aspect of her life is accepted, received with warmth and occasionally clumsy care. Their fights are familiar to small families with grown children and aging parents. Yes, the performances are good and the actress playing the lead is remarkable, but what do I do with that, when the story itself doesn't exist? What is it really that the film is trying to say here? I am really struggling to understand why critics are going gaga over this film, (but then of late I am finding myself keeping my distance form films that critics love, recent Oscar winners being an example). I understand that this has been made by a trans film maker, loosely inspiring events from her own life, but just this fact doesn't make a film good. For now, for me, this film is just shallow and underwhelming. It's just as bland as its title. (1.5/10)
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